Troubles from the Past
by CherryPanda19
Summary: A heartbroken Korra leaves Republic City behind so she can ask for the Fire Nation's help in the Civil War. Attacked by a spirit, she ends up in the spirit world...and faces unwanted memories that she had buried prior to leaving the Water Tribe. Mako finds out that Korra is missing. Throw in a depressed ex and a pretty boy, things will get complicated. Disclaimer: LoK, not mine.


**This is set after Korra is attacked by the spirit.**

* * *

Korra's eyelids felt heavy as she slowly woke up. She opened her eyes with much dislike and found herself in an eerie place inhabited by creatures. At the center of all of this was a large, gnarled tree with roots that extend into the sky, rather than into the ground. Surrounding it is a large ravine shrouded in dense mist, though the fog is pierced by tall pinnacles of stone.

"What is this place?" she muttered. It seemed so familiar that it terrified her. She saw an Opening deep below the tree and she followed the trail, finding herself in front of it. It was larger than it seemed and very dark inside of it.

She walked in, looking around.

"Back so soon?" a voice said. Her instincts flared up and she put on a blank mask. She didn't know how this would work against an unknown person but her instincts screamed not to take it off.

"Who are you?" she asked. "And how do you know me?"

"My, my Avatar," the voice said. She felt movement behind her. "It isn't nice to forget people."

The voice showed its face. Well, faces. With a centipede-like body that was quite large, his face changed from what appeared to be a Fire Nation soldier, then an elderly man, before settling to a face that was white, with bright red lips and purple makeup around the eyes. It looked like the mask that she had seen a man wear in a play a while back, though her memories were fuzzy.

"The last time I saw you, you were merely 15 years old," he said, using his many legs to walked around her, but keeping his gaze on her. "Along with some other person, a boy your age at the time, in fact. It was rare to see a non-spiritual human in the Spirit world and his face was quite beautiful, that I couldn't help myself."

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself, Avatar Korra. I am Koh. The face stealer."

* * *

Mako walked the streets, his mind drifting to his girlfriend...ex-girlfriend. He frowned and wished he could take it back but he was stubborn. He wouldn't do anything that could hurt his pride, and he knew Korra wouldn't either. It had been a few days since he broke up with her. He hadn't seen her around, and Bolin, along with Asami.

'_Probably with Varrick, off making more crazy plans_,' was the bitter thought that ran across his mind.

He walked into his apartment and found Varrick, Asami, and Bolin in there.

"Hey bro," Bolin said as a greeting. "Did Korra visit you the other day?"

"Yeah," Mako said stiffly. "why?"

"She wouldn't tell us what happened before she left."

"She left?" Mako asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Asami spoke up. Varrick was fiddling with the radio, as if trying to get ideas from it. "She went to the Fire Nation. Apparently, General Iroh told her to visit the Fire Lord and ask for aid in the civil war. She didn't tell you?"

Mako opened his mouth to reply but Varrick had settled on a music station that was interrupted.

It was Unalaq.

"Citizens of Republic City," he began. "I am here to inform you that the Avatar, my niece, is officially missing."

* * *

_Koh_.

The face stealer.

She had a feeling of pain as she heard the name. She had read a page from Avatar Aang's journal when she was 13 years old. But why was this name causing her so much pain? And when did she met him?

She wished she could show her pain but, as Aang had written, any expression would give him a chance to steal your face.

"Avatar Korra," Koh said. "It has seemed you have buried your tragic memories from two years ago. Allow me to bring them back."

He made deep eye contact with each other and, soon, everything was pitch black.

_She stared at Yasuo's face. She couldn't believe how alike him and his brother looked. Well, they were twins. At least they weren't creepy, like Desna and Eska._

_Yasuo was her rival but Shima, his twin, was her best friend._

_Shima and Yasuo live with her in the Southern Water Tribe compound. They lived with their parents. Their mother was a nurse, always caring for their injuries, and their father was a sentry._

_They both had sea-green eyes and pitch black hair. They were as tall as Korra. Shima had always gotten along with her but Yasuo was more of a rival than a friend._

_They had found a way out of the compound and were waiting for Shima, who had slept in. The rest was blurry but then, she saw her 15 year old self staring a Koh with a blank expression. She remembered._

_Somehow, that day, Korra and Yasuo found themselves in the Spirit World. They had ended up in what Aang called the Realm of Koh. She instantly put on a blank look that almost looked as if she were bored. Yasuo looked around in awe, and as she opened her mouth to warn him, Koh had took him away_.

"You stole him away from me and took his face, didn't you?"

Koh had his back to her and when he turned, he had his sea-green eyes.

* * *

Korra was missing. She disappeared.

No one knew where she was. She never made it to the Fire Nation.

Mako was filled with worry. How could his girlfriend be missing?

* * *

"Yes, Avatar," Koh said, with _his_ face on. "Do tell me what happened after I stole his face. I know he wanders about the Spirit World, with no face, of course. He will do so until forever ends.

She didn't say anything.

Shima had found out and was angry at Korra for not protecting his twin, his other half. His family, now broken, left the compound, after Shima said some unkind words to her that nearly broke her heart.

She was in love with him at the time. She had always been. She had fallen hard when she saw his eyes.

He just never knew.

* * *

**So, this idea kept nagging at me for a while now and I decided to write this. No promises on a certain update date but I'll try to post ASAP. **


End file.
